With Rose out, Watson thrust into spotlight

Thibodeau: 'He knows exactly how we have to play to win'

As C.J. Watsonprepared for the Bulls' first playoff game, he engaged in casual conversation about not joining other rotation players in skipping some practice time to heal bumps and bruises.

"That's OK," said a chuckling Watson, who has nursed elbow and ankle injuries all season. "I'll get my rest during games."

Not anymore.

Watson's light-hearted crack, a nod to the projected 38 to 40 minutes Derrick Rose would've played had Rose not torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Saturday, is about as effusive as the mild-mannered point guard gets.

After posting four points and five assists in just shy of 11 minutes during Game 1 against the 76ers, Watson will have more to talk about on Tuesday. He will assume Rose's starting role, backed up by John Lucas III and Mike James.

"He doesn't have to change how he plays at all," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He knows exactly how we have to play to win. From that standpoint, it's not different at all. When C.J. has started, the team performed extremely well. It's impossible to make up for Derrick's individual greatness, but our collective greatness can cover that up."

Not exactly.

Gone will be the consistent penetration to the basket Rose provides. Missing, too, will be the crunch-time closer and the easy offense — Joakim Noah's tip-ins off Rose's missed drives come to mind — that Rose supplies.

But Watson did start 25 games this season, averaging 11.3 points and 4.6 assists. Lucas III and James also delivered strong games, albeit in regular-season play.

"C.J.'s play all year has shown he is very capable," Korver said. "John Lucas has played very well, too, and we need both of them to step up for sure. But they're not going to be Derrick Rose. There's only one Derrick Rose. We don't need him to be Derrick Rose. We just need him to play solid and aggressive."

Watson declined to speak to reporters for the second straight day, although he did give a short interview to TNT's Cheryl Miller on Sunday. Many of Thibodeau's offensive sets are dominated by point guard decisions, and Watson did average 2.4 turnovers in just over 29 minutes as a starter. He also shot 38.5 percent on 3-pointers as a starter, attempting 4.2 per game.

"He's an excellent pick-and-roll player," Thibodeau said. "He can push the ball in transition. He's a terrific 3-point shooter. He has good quickness. And he knows how to run the team. He understands his teammates' strengths and weaknesses. He has played with the starters and bench guys. He has a really good feel for that."

But Watson struggled down the stretch of the regular season. After posting 16 points and nine assists in the April 12 victory over Miami, Watson averaged 6.1 points and 1.6 turnovers on 28 percent shooting in the final seven regular-season games.

Watson signed a two-year deal with a third-year team option in the free-agent bonanza of 2010 after starting 33 games over two seasons for the Warriors.

"We had followed him really for a couple of years before he came," general manager Gar Forman said. "We think he's got the ability to run the team, the ability to play with pace, the ability to make shots. He was our kind of guy. We thought he would fit in with our guys."

Three of those guys will be Korver, Richard Hamilton and Luol Deng. They played together in stretches of Game 1 after doing so in just one regular-season game, flooding the floor with shooters. The 76ers' smaller lineup allowed Deng to move to power forward.

"We have a lot of versatility with the lineups," Thibodeau said. "We can go small. We can go big. We can have the two point guards together."

Come to think of it, the Heat use a small lineup too — if the Bulls can rebound and still see them in the conference finals.

"I've watched them respond to every challenge all year long," Thibodeau said. "This is the next challenge. We know what we have to do to win."